Sovereignty international relations

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen announced her re-election bid this week following a bump in public polling that came after she spoke out against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s suggestion that Taiwan and China unify as one country. She was polling at 24 percent after her party lost local elections in November. In January she was speaking out every few days against Xi’s idea and her approval ratings hit 34.5 percent by Jan. 21, according to a Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation survey. On Wednesday, Tsai indicated she plans to run for another four-year term as president. Inspired by her jump in approval ratings, Tsai will center at least the early part of her campaign over the coming year on raising public suspicion of China, political scientists say. “Their campaign strategy is to speak of hating China, fearing China and refusing China,” said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University. If … [Read more...] about China Relations Shape Taiwan President’s Campaign

Kurz, head of the conservative People's Party (ÖVP), now governs in coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ).Earlier in October, Kurz said Austria was very critical of some of the clauses of the proposed agreement due to substantive concerns over threats to its sovereignty, saying that Austria could advocate amending the draft.'Migration is not and can not become a human right, ' Strache said.Austria has announced that it would back out of a United Nations pact on worldwide cooperation on migration, arguing that the document is inadequate for managing global migration flows and could undermine Austria's sovereignty.Following the U.S. and Hungary, Austria has decided not to sign a global United Nations treaty on migration agreed last July, Austrian broadcaster ORF reported Wednesday.The opposition accused the government of populism and "irresponsibility", arguing that the move might damage Vienna's image as a mediator on the global arena. "Such a move does not resolve … [Read more...] about Austria rejects United Nations migration pact to ‘defend national sovereignty’

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N.'s political chief cautioned Tuesday that planned local elections in two separatist areas of eastern Ukraine next month could contradict international agreements. "The U.N. urges all parties to avoid any unilateral steps that could deepen the divide or depart from the spirit and letter of the Minsk agreements," Rosemary DiCarlo told a Security Council meeting on the issue. In 2015, France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists signed the Minsk agreement in the Belarus capital. It seeks to halt the fighting through a cease-fire and the withdrawal of foreign troops and heavy weapons, and open the way to a permanent, legal and political solution to the conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2014. De facto authorities in the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk have announced that they plan to hold elections on Nov. 11. "As we understand, two separate ballots in both Donetsk and Luhansk are reportedly being planned: one for the "head … [Read more...] about UN Says Planned Elections in E. Ukraine Could Contradict International Agreements

Good evening, and thank you for inviting me. I’ve been out of uniform for a while – having gotten out of the Reserves as an O-4 nearly 10 years ago now – but this former naval intelligence officer is especially pleased to see all of you midshipmen in the audience tonight, serving our great nation here at the U.S. Naval Academy. I’d like to speak a bit tonight on a theme that has received increasing attention in the State Department. As I outlined in remarks to the Foreign Policy Association in New York last summer, after too long a period in which the United States did not take great-power competition seriously enough – while the revisionist powers of China and Russia most certainly did – the United States is finally now intently focused upon this challenge. The new U.S. National Security Strategy calls out “the contest for power” as a “central continuity in history,” and warns of challengers that “are actively … [Read more...] about Arms Control and International Security: Why China Technology-Transfer Threats Matter

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, October 1, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In early-September 2018, former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa proclaimed that his government’s fight against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should not be considered an ‘ethnic war’, as ‘military action was not directed against the Tamil community’.[1] While the veracity of such a claim remains open to heated debate, its delivery at this point in time is not surprising. Mr Rajapaksa appears poised to stage a political comeback, and anti-Tamil assertions are catnip to his Sinhalese supporters—especially members of the military.[2] At the same time, a central element of his platform involves depicting current Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena as a stooge to foreign influence for having endorsed UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 30/1—a move Mr Rajapasksa and his supporters consider a blow to the country’s sovereignty and an incursion on … [Read more...] about Sri Lanka and the 39th Human Rights Council Session: Playing Domestic Politics on the International Stage : MAP